The growing expenditure on animal health in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been driven by the need for protecting animals against a variety of infectious diseases and bacterial infections. The push for preserving the overall health of companion and livestock animals is driven by the growing demand for meat and domestication. Veterinary therapeutics comprises vaccines, drugs, and nutritional feeds. The increasing number of companion animals in KSA and the need for controlling the surge in zoonotic diseases are key factors positively boosting the uptake of veterinary therapeutics.

Substantial and sustained government initiatives supporting the import of animal feed, coupled with increasing affordability among farm owners, and the easy availability of antibiotics are seminal factors expected to open up lucrative growth avenues for market players in KSA to capitalize on. A large number of pharmaceutical players are investing on research activities to develop better medicines and novel therapies, which is expected to sustain the momentum of the KSA veterinary therapeutics market. The market is anticipated to rise at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2017 to 2025. Expanding at this pace, the valuation of the market is expected to reach US$575.3 mn by the end of the forecast period.

Which products types and sub-segments are projected to witness substantial uptake over the forecast period?

The various product types in veterinary therapeutics are pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nutritional feed additives, and disinfectants. Of these, the KSA veterinary therapeutics market is expected to witness the major demand for pharmaceuticals. The pharmaceutical segment is further classified into ectoparasiticides, endoparasiticides, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and endectocides. Among these, the market is expected to exhibit substantial uptake of antibiotics. The antibiotics segment is projected to account for the major market share by the end of 2024. A key factor attributing the significant growth of this sub-segment is the efficacy of these drugs in the prevention and treatment of numerous infectious diseases.

A joint venture between the Julphar Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries, a leading pharmaceutical player, and Cigalah Group, healthcare distributor in Saudi Arabia, has in April 2017 officially inaugurated the opening of a new manufacturing facility in King Abdullah Economic City. The Julphar Saudi Arabia plant spans across 807,292-square-foot and is valued at US$53 million, Julphar is one of to be the leading generic drug makers in the Middle East and Africa. The sprawling facility is expected to more than billions of tablets, and millions of capsules. With the opening of the Julphar plant in Saudi Arabia, the company hopes to consolidate its manufacturing presence across the country. All the manufacturing will be done locally, which is expected to bode well for the KSA veterinary therapeutics market.

Which animal types are anticipated to show the major demand for veterinary therapeutics?

Livestock animals and companion animals are the two types showing the demand for veterinary therapeutics. Major companion animals include dogs and cats, while some of key livestock animals for veterinary therapeutics are uses are cattle, poultry, and sheep. Among the two, livestock animals are expected to witness impressive uptake of veterinary therapeutics. The rising demand for meat among populations in Saudi Arabia has led to an accelerating demand for veterinary therapeutics. Massive government support for livestock animal production and considerable investments by the Ministry of Health (MoH), Saudi Arabia, is expected to bode well for the growth of the livestock animals segment.